The Falcon, The Hawk, and The Eagle
by NightFury4869
Summary: -    RENOVATING! STAY OUT!     - Formerly 'Eagle Vision'. The author and five of his friends gets sucked in and wants out! Turns out that something darker is just around the corner...
1. Chapter 1: In Through the Looking Glass

Author's Note~!

Hellooooo Fanfic. Net! NightFury4869 here! Here's my first fanfic-and I'm glad to say there's more to come than this lil' thing. My chaps will be short, so be warned there. Please critique-it's what I live for! One request, though-it has to be constructive. You can call me completely untalented-but give me proof. That's it! Please enjoy the story, and review!

Disclaimer: Assassin's Creed is mine! Yessssss…..*blood spurts* Altair: No.

Chapter One: In Through the Looking Glass

Christmas Eve, 2010. Six friends sat in the living room of a house. There were 4 girls and two guys. Everyone was having a good time.

"Nice of me to invite you guys to my house, huh?" said Jo, eyes narrowed in concentration. Jo was gangly and quite tall, standing 5'10" at the age of fifteen. He wore his hair a natural pitch black, looking slightly midnight blue when struck right by light. His eyes were inky black, but turned hazel when struck by direct light. He delighted in martial arts, with a black belt in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Tsun and Cheet Kun Do. He was also quite familiar with various weapons, such as the Katana, Wakizashi, Bo staff, and English longsword.

He also possessed intimate knowledge of most firearms and could assemble and disassemble 75% of production firearms blindfolded. But it didn't really show, with his geeky talent with technology, mild, happy-go-lucky demeanor and glasses. It wasn't obvious, but beneath that skinny frame of his lay tough and sinewy muscle.

He was currently wearing his favorite outfit, a TARDIS T-shirt with good fitting black track pants and black combat boots, playing Assassin's Creed on his new desktop, as Altair ran from rooftop to rooftop, dodging guards along the way. The desktop was connected to a large plasma monitor on the wall opposite the couch, above the television, and was controlled wirelessly via a keyboard and mousepad.

"Yeah, yeah," said his best friend Brianna, though she prefers to be called Bree. She was 16, blonde-brown and slightly shorter than he was, standing at 5'7". She had central heterochromia, with green/blue irises with a ring of hazel surrounding her pupils. She was an expert cross country runner and was very capable of free running and parkour. She was also an expert archer, able to chain hit targets up to 250 feet away with a longbow.

Unlike Jo, who looked scrawny no matter what he did, her efforts showed in her impeccably healthy figure. Wearing a blue ocean T-shirt, jeans and black converses, she was currently trying and failing the Assassin's Creed tutorial for the nth time on the Xbox, knocking another jar carrier over. The whole group sniggered behind her.

"Yeah, 'this is easy,' he says. Yeah, right." Jo laughed, clutching his stomach, losing control and making Altair fall off the building he was on, prompting a snorted "Oh, shoot" and more laughs.

"Jo, don't be condescending!" said Jo's sister, Joyce. She wasn't as armed as her brother was, but she was still a scary lil' ten year old. Her outfit, which was a long sleeved gray hoodie with matching pants and sneakers, was quite her age.

Only standing to her brother's shoulders at a nice 4'15" for her age, she was thrusting a foil against a dummy, piercing the thin leather and making dents in the plastic underneath. Despite her young age, Joyce was a master of fencing, by her standards. Able to twirl a foil like it grew out of her hand, she fenced for China's junior team. She also did no small amount of Karate herself, and possessed a blue belt as a result. She wore shoulder length black hair, and, unlike her brother, dark brown eyes. She was well built, but did not possess the intricacies of puberty yet.

There was a sudden whizzing noise, and a knife buried itself into the couch half an inch from Jo's leg. Jo's expression didn't change. He didn't take his eyes off the game.

"Nice try," Melissa said, "but you blinked."

Melissa was 16 as well and was a master at ninjutsu. She could accurately throw a knife over 50 feet away and kill you without you realizing it. She had also been through quite a tough life and was, most of the time, slightly paranoid. She also had uncanny reflexes and was very scary when angry. She was 5'3". Short, and though stout would fit her quite well, she would kill anybody who uses the adjective on her. She had wavy dark brown hair, tortoiseshell glasses and brown eyes under them. Currently sitting on the couch and reading a thick book, she had one hand outstretched, having just thrown the knife.

Camille quietly chuckled from her spot in the corner. She was 15, 5'2" and very quiet. Below that demeanor, however, is a very dangerous person. Having a talent in far ranged weapondry, she could easily put a hole in your head from a mile away, provided that you're visible to her. A young expert in knives as well, she carries a pair of switchblades around with her all the time. With short black hair slightly longer than shoulder length, she peered from under her bangs with dark brown eyes and frameless glasses. Currently buried in piles of manga, she was flipping through the first volume of Axis Powers Hetalia.

"Yeah, Jo, you blinked," she said mockingly.

"Hee hee ha ha," said Jo, "why does everybody pick on me?"

"'Cause you deserve to be picked on," Melissa replied in a deadpan tone.

"Indeed," said Max, the only other guy in the group.

Max was 16 and 6'1". He was typically American, with brown curly hair and brown eyes. He was built like a bear and had the attitude of one. Well, one with a bad concussion. He was playing Brotherhood on the Playstation he brought over and was pretty good at it. Ezio suddenly jumped off St. Peter's Basilica and landed with an unsightly splat in the middle of Rome. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt with jeans and sneakers, and as the poor assassin ended up in the animus again, he gave up and turned to Jo.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

Jo winced. "Not too well, I sort of got the attention of every guard in Jerusalem and had to run. I've just come out of a rooftop garden, though, so it's not so bad."

Suddenly, the lights flickered and electronics went out. Everybody froze in surprise, and then the lights died.

Everybody grumbled, except for Jo, who immediately reached under his chair. In pitch black, he could feel the handle of a flashlight, and clicked the button. He shined the flashlight around the room. "Is everyone alright?" he asked. His friends nodded. "This is really weird. I'm going to get something, just in case." He tossed the flashlight to Bree and disappeared.

"But you can't see!" she called.

"Oh yes, I can," he replied, out of sight, "I have better night vision than all of you!'" He reappeared, carrying his katana and wakizashi, along with a custom fit harness, designed so that he could carry a multitude of melee weapons undetected under his shirt.

"I'm not having these things lying around," he quipped, throwing his sister her sword, "Something might happen to them." He inspected his katana, A white hardened elm scabbard, known as a Saya, wrapped in blue fabric ended in a ray skin wrapped handle concealing one of the most perfectly engineered swords of all time was in his hands. Melissa snickered, interrupting his train of thought.

"Like what? We're in your living room. What are you scared of, rogue dust bunnies?" Everyone laughed. Then Jo looked behind Melissa, to his television. "No," he said, grin disappearing, "like that." Everyone turned. Bree gasped. The monitor to his computer was flickering. Suddenly, the screen pixelated, and there was what appears to be a pulsing portal in the TV. Glowing blue and gray, the tunnel looked like it was carved out of solid blocks of color, with pixels spinning around everywhere.

"What's going on?" cried Max, unable to believe what was going on.

"I have no idea!" yelled Jo, an insane grin growing on his face, "But I intend to find out!" Jo ran towards the monitor, grabbing his brown trenchcoat along the way. He jumped in, the screen rippling with his mass. The rest of the group glanced at each other.

"Well, we can't just leave him!" Joyce yelled, and jumped in after her sibling. The rest of the group grinned at each other and dived in as well. And so, another great adventure is about to begin.


	2. Chapter 2: A Day in Jerusalem

Author's Note~!

Hi again, !

~*cricket…cricket*~

….Anyway, here's the next chappie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft does.

Chapter 2: A Day in Jerusalem

The unit of guards patrolling the street of Jerusalem was surprised when six teenagers stumbled in front of them. They were a strange group, with two boys and four girls. The group was not of local origin, they saw. One had medium length straight black hair, a coat of some sort, black pants and black shoes. The other one had short curly brown hair, a shirt, pants, and blue shoes. The one with the coat was holding the scabbard for what looks like a sword, and just finished putting on some sort of harness. The four girls were also unusual. The first was definitely not local, with hair like the sun's rays and green-brown eyes. She was wearing a shirt with a hood under a vest, long blue pants and brown shoes made of strange materials. The second had black curly hair reaching to the small of her back and was wearing a brown hooded jacket with khaki pants and brown shoes. The third was small in stature, had brown-black shoulder length hair and was wearing a blue hooded jacket with dark green pants and black shoes. The fourth was smallest, had short straight hair, was wearing a white jacket with gray pants and brown shoes, and wielded a sword. It was a thin sword, of the likes of the Christians, and glinted in the Jerusalem sun. The girl with golden hair smacked the boy with the coat hard. "Why is it that we end up in whatever franchise you happen to love?" she yelled. "Ow!" cried the boy, "It isn't my fault! Blame fate if you want to!" The group noticed the guards. "Hey," remarked the one with the coat," these guys look familiar." "We are guards of Jerusalem," said the unit leader," we demand to know who you are." The group looked surprised. "Jerusalem?" said the one with yellow hair. "But that means…" "Yes," said the one with the coat, "I think I know where we are." The unit leader frowned. He'd had enough of this strange group. He turned to his guards. "Capture them," he said casually. The guards complied and started forward, menacingly. "Come with us!" one said. "No way, guys!" said the young girl, "Run!" The group turned tail and fled. The guards gave chase. The group of friends sprinted through the streets of Jerusalem, being noticed by every single guard along the way, who joined the pursuit. Jo suddenly noticed a splotch of white and red climbing nearby, trying to reach the top of a tower. Jo grinned tightly, running towards it, closely followed by his friends and a venerable horde of guards.


	3. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Occurence

Author's Note~!

Hey there! NF4869 here!

~*cricket…cricket*~

Ah, this joke's getting old. Anyway, just up here to say that the posts will slow down. I won't say it's writer's block, 'cause it ain't, but there's been quite a lot to do lately, so this will probably be my last this week.

Sorry to interrupt, enjoy the story and please-review and criticize!

Disclaimer: *loudspeaker* ASSASSIN'S CREED IS MINE! *throwing knife half an inch from face* yeah, thought not.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Occurrence

Altair Ibn' La'Ahad crouched on top of the tower. He surveyed his surroundings, looking for any stray guards who may cause trouble for him. He immediately noticed a disturbance at ground level. A small group of six children seem to be running away from a group of guards. Altair blinked. His curiosity piqued, he climbed from the tower to the lower roof of a nearby building.

"Don't you have assassins to chase or something?" a girl in the group with curly hair shouted.

Altair's eyes widened in surprise. How does this strange group know about the assassins? He silently jumped lower onto a beam just above the alley where the chase was taking place.

Suddenly, a member of the group being chased yelled, "guys, get behind me!" The young man who barked the order now faced his pursuers. "I don't want anyone to get hurt here, so please leave us!"

The guards laughed. "You? A mere boy? Harm us? We shall see about that!" one said, and charged towards the teen. Altair was about to jump and intervene when the boy took out what appeared to be a long white and blue staff, about four feet long, and pulled on either end. The staff split a third of the way in, revealing a sword not of local origin. The boy charged forward, obviously knowing what he was doing and easily parried the guard's blow.

"I give you one more chance to stop," he said, blades locked, "then I show no mercy to your sort." The guard snorted. He wasn't accustomed to being bested by an insolent child. "Just got lucky!" he said, and disengaged the blades. The boy, unfazed by the force, deflected the guard's blade. The guard, once again unprepared, stumbled forwards.

The boy now walked inexorably towards the guard. The guard looked closer. The boy was smirking. Angry, the guard swung savagely towards the young boy, only to have his longsword easily blocked. Now the boy went on the attack, mercilessly raining blow after blow on the unfortunate guard, who was barely blocking the blade. Backhand, sideswipe, uppercut, forward swing. The guard eventually started to give way tiring after fierce blow after blow, until the boy actually pierced his defense and stabbed him through the torso. There was no emotion on his face. The sword glinted silver and crimson out of the guard's back.

Altair was stunned. A young boy, ten years his junior, had effortlessly dispatched a guard. The boy withdrew his sword from the guard's body, and, after cleaning it, replaced it in its scabbard. He turned to the remaining five guards. They turned tail and ran from the group. The boy turned back to his friends. "You guys still alright?" he asked. They nodded.

"Jo," said a girl with yellow hair, "you just killed someone!"

"I don't think so," replied Jo. "This world is digital, so yes, I killed someone, but not in reality. It's kind of like being in the Matrix, really." Altair shifted slightly on the beam, about to move, when a throwing knife came out of nowhere and quivered, an inch from his foot. "Assassin," said Jo, staring right at him. Altair pulled the knife from the wood, not without some effort, and dropped from the beam. He stood, facing the group. All of them gasped, except for Jo, wielding the sword. He smiled. "I knew it," he said, "Altair Ibn' La'Ahad. Master Assassin."

Jo walked up to him. "Altair, I'm Jo. That's Max, Bree, Melissa, Camille and my sister, Joyce. We're from the future, of sorts." "Indeed?" said the Assassin, "And what are six young children from the future doing here in Jerusalem? You're obviously not from these parts." Bree interjected. "We're not quite sure," she said, "it's rather hard to explain. In our future, we have this video game. It's called Assassin's Creed and it's very popular. We love to play it…and you're the main character inside it." Altair's expression did not change.

"I am a character inside a game? Nonsense," he said flatly.

"Well, I know for a fact you intend to go to Al Mualim, who will set you on to Damascus. I also know that your last victim was William de Montferrat," said Jo. Altair's eyes widened slightly. "We're not lying," Jo continued, "I know you're curious as to why we know so much. But we need shelter to rest and recover, the trip here was very taxing."

Altair nodded. "Follow me," he said, and started walking away.


	4. Chapter 4: Bureaucratics

Author's Note~!

Hi there, ! Sorry for the new update, but I was personally busy with a costume. Don't ask. Anyway, new chapter up! Finally! Definitely more to come. Please review-and Merry Christmas, by the way!

Chapter 4: Bureaucratics

Altair led them through a maze of streets and alleys to a ladder which led to the Assassin's Bureau, manned alone by a disgruntled Malik.

"Ah, Altair, what plague have you brought me this time?" he said scornfully.

"I found these young ones fending off guards. They will rest here," said the Eagle.

"No. You know very well that this place is for assassins and only assassins. Why have you brought these young children to us? Yet another display of your insolent arrogance?" Malik asked. Altair's eyes narrowed.

"They seem to know a lot about us. Al Mualim must be informed." He turned to the group of youths. "Wait here," he said, and climbed off. The group heaved a collective sigh of relief. Malik gave them a glare and the group quietly moved out to the more open area outside.

"I can't leave you guys undefended like this," Jo said. He took off his trench coat, revealing his knife harness in full. He took a few items off the back.

"These are my equivalent of the hidden blades they use," Jo said, "except these were made by Kyocera, one of the most advanced blademasters around. These blades and vanguards are made of ultra-hard ceramic; only second to diamond. They're virtually unbreakable," he said, giving each member of the group a small package, carefully folded to conceal its true size. "Open and flick your hand backwards to activate them. There are also throwing knives hidden inside the vanguards." Camille inspected her blade.

"Where did you get these, Jo?" Jo strapped the blade on her right arm.

"Can't tell you that, or I'd have to kill you." Max looked at Jo.

"Where are yours?" Jo looked at him. He hit Max's head with the twin custom black and red vanguards he was wearing as part of his knife harness.

"Where've you been?" Jo said with a smirk. He then took what looked like a flashlight out of his belt and swept his trench coat with its ultraviolet beam. The trench coat gradually turned from brown to white, with a red stylized falcon on the back. He also ripped the collar of the coat, revealing that it was held there with Velcro. A hood emerged.

"Jo, is all your stuff designed to be easily weaponized?" asked Joyce.

"No, just this coat," answered her brother. Jo put the coat back on and put the hood up, then pressed a button on his knife harness. Red metallic limbs extended from the harness, strapping themselves around Jo's limbs. He moved experimentally.

"Well what do you know, they do work," he said. Bree prodded the red metal.

"What is this stuff?" she asked.

"It's an exo-suit," Jo answered. "It enhances my strength by a factor of 3," he said, picking Bree up, tossing her up into the air, catching her and putting her down.

"You hidden blades should have the function to do that too; press the assassin's symbol on it," he said, "though yours only raises your strength to a factor of 2." At this moment, Altair chose to drop in on the kids, only to find them being half enveloped with white metal. He blinked, shrugged, and then walked past them to deliver the feather with Mjad Addim's blood. He stepped outside under the woven roof afterwards to find the group staring at him.

"We've improved ourselves to suit this environment," Jo said. Altair nodded slowly. He noticed now that every single member of the group now wielded hidden blades, though they were white and pearly, and not steel like his own. He looked closer at the vanguards Jo was wearing. They were similar, except that his were pearly black and red, and did not require a sacrifice, whereas Altair's own was steel gray. The strange red filaments running up and down his body seemed to possess a life of its own, mechanically whirring and clicking with every movement.

"I understand. But come with me, Al Mualim must know of your presence here." He turned and climbed out of the Assassin's Bureau. This time, the group of friends easily caught up with him. Standing on the rooftop, Jo's glasses flickered to life, displaying a HUD similar to the one in the game.

"Yeah," he said, noticing the odd stares from his friends, "I put the in-game HUD on here." Awkward pausing followed. "What? It's a really good design!" Altair glanced at him, puzzled and intrigued, and then took a running jump towards the next building-and the exit. The group obediently followed, jumping easily from rooftop to rooftop using their newfound gear.

Jo looked down at the gate leading to outside the city. He examined the four guards surrounding the gate and grinned. He popped the hidden switch on his gauntlets and twin knives popped out of each one. He narrowed his eyes and took all four out easily. All nearby activity stopped as the citizens crowded around the dead bodies, causing distraction to the rest of the guards as well. This allowed the group to use wooden beams over the commotion to quietly escape. Once outside, Altair immediately sprinted for the stables to his horse.

He took a running start and easily leaped on. The youngsters, on the other hand, had slightly more trouble. Jo and Joyce had ridden before, and so knew how to control a horse. Jo picked out a palomino and climbed on, calming the horse while he did so. Joyce found a small Bay and easily jumped on. The others, on the other hand, had little or no riding experience. They simply sat on their chosen horses and looked to Altair for help. The Eagle glanced at their supposed leader.

"What?" Jo shrugged. "I don't know anything about them and horses!" He rode with ease towards them and stopped just short of them. "Since this world is virtual, I'm going to see if I could do that Matrix trick, okay? This might hurt a bit, but it will be well worth it," he said quietly.

"But Jo," said Camille in a deadpan tone, "you're in this world as well. How exactly are you going to hack it?" Jo blinked.

"Uh…I'll see," he said, his glasses flashing into a blur once again. "I've established a link to the server we're on, and located our spontaneously generated avatar files. Inserting necessary graphics, physics and motion patterns now," he muttered, his fingers typing in the air onto a keyboard only he could see. Suddenly, the rest of the group all experienced a sharp stab at their temples. Bree and Camille gasped in pain. Melissa and Max gritted their teeth, but showed no facial expression otherwise. Suddenly, they could handle their horses just fine. The stream of information came like they'd been riding all their lives.

Altair was amazed. One moment ago, the youngsters had trouble getting on a horse. Now, however, they could ride as well, if not better, than he could. Jo looked up again, with a smile on his face. "I also took the liberty of inserting fighting maneuvers into your avatar data. Now you can fight with the weapons you have," said he, smirking. The group of students looked on, openmouthed.

"You…entered us into the system?" asked Melissa.

"Yep," said Jo airily, trotting off towards Masyaf.

"But…isn't that sorta cheating?" said Joyce.

"No, not really, not now THAT WE'RE PART OF ESTABLISHED EVENTS AND WE'RE TECHNICALLY STUCK HERE, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED!" Jo yelled, losing his cool for the first time. Everybody stared, once again shocked. Altair, on the other hand, simply glared at the young teenager.

"You're attracting attention," he said flatly. Jo glared right back, but blinked and sighed.

"Well, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it now," he said quietly. Altair's expression softened.

"Perhaps Al Mualim can help you return home," he said, not without kindness.

"Yes, I suppose he could," said Jo, riding off again. Altair blinked.

"Is he always that solitary?" he asked Joyce.

"Not really," she said, "it's just that he's…concerned for our well-being." Jo stopped.

"Oh, and Bree? Please put your hood up for the time being. Your hair, as beautiful as it is, stands out too much where we are," he said, without turning, then trotted off at a steady pace, allowing the rest of the group to catch up.

This boy is more than he appears to be, thought Altair. Being level headed at such a young age is…extraordinary. He shrugged, then rode up to the group, bringing up the rear in amicable silence.


	5. Chapter 5: Riding to MasyWait a minute

Author's Note~!

Helloooo Stonehenge! Oh wait…wrong TV show. Never mind.

Here's the next chappie. I hope you like it! Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Chapter 5: Riding to Masy-Wait a Minute, Guards?

The units of guards at the crossroads weren't expecting any sort of group or party to be offensively based, considering their status and who they were. They had loosened their alertness to a ridiculous degree due to the fact that not many travelers were defiant of the guards, and they know it clearly. Intimidating citizens and bullying them into submission was just one form of entertainment. So when the group of 27 saw a small group of 7 heading their way, six of them children, they thought that it'd be a good idea to have some fun with the kids and teach them to respect guards early. The captain of the group, a young cocky bloke from Damascus named Mafid was delighted to finally have something to do, even if it was making kids beg for mercy. He looked to his lieutenant.

"There are more women than men in this group. Go and roughen them up a bit, but don't harm them. Yet." His lieutenant nodded, called for his nine man unit and marched off to confront the group, confident that the best that the group could handle is a few shoves, providing some relief of boredom for his men.

Mafid was feeling great. His lieutenant had just stopped the group and was now asking the only adult exactly where they were going.

"We are simply going to Masyaf, to visit a relative," Mafid heard the man say quietly. "Really?" asked a guard, "then who is this?" he flipped Bree's hood. "Surely, this woman is an exotic beauty!" Jo's hands curled into fists. Altair glanced at him, then shook his head lightly. Jo relaxed, but only slightly. The rest of the group tensed up. Jo cared for the whole group. Seeing him relaxed wasn't a good sign. The guard blundered on, unaware of the danger that he had suddenly put his unit in.

"I want to borrow her for an hour," he said, grabbing her arm. This time, Jo simply reached to his left and gripped the guard's arm in a grip of iron. "Release her," he said. "Or what?" the guard scoffed, refusing to let go, "What is she to you anyway?" he bellowed. Jo's stare suddenly turned ice cold.

"She is my sister. Now let her go," said Jo quietly. Joyce tensed and placed her hand lightly over her foil, fearing that she might need to use it soon. Altair wasn't amused, but he did not object. For a grown man to do this was wrong. He observed the other guards as well. All of them had a strange look in their eyes, as if hungering for what they think will happen. These guards were not chivalrous nor bravely kind, but were instead lustful and useless; they don't deserve to live. He looked at Jo.

"Son…" he said, indicating for his attention. Jo turned his ice cold glare towards Altair, the glare cold enough to unsettle the Eagle himself. He nodded imperceptibly, and Jo's eyes softened. He let go of the guard's arm. The guard laughed, thinking that the boy had given up.

"Do you realize who I am now?" he bellowed into the boy's hooded face, spraying spittle everywhere. "Do you realize that I am a guard in service to the king himself?" He shoved the boy down onto the ground. Jo lay there, still silent. At this point, the rest of the group was wondering just what the heck was going on. Jo was hot headed. It was in his and his sister's blood.

There was no way he would stand down to a direct attack like that. As the guard prepared for yet another verbal assault, the boy slowly got up. His white cloak now stained by the golden sand and dust. The rest of the group now got off their horses as well. He looked up to the guard under his cloak. "You stained my cloak," he said, a grin creeping onto his face, "and you struck first, just remember that." And then Mafid's day turned into a nightmare.

Jo tensed into an Aikido stance and gave a battle cry, surprising the guard. He then quickly kicked the guard's solar plexus, then, as the guard was doubled over in pain he twisted his neck. A savage crack resounded through the area as the guard's neck broke and he fell to the floor, dead, unmoving. The rest of the unit was shocked into immobility. At this point, Altair, who had been climbing the nearby lookout, unleashed half a dozen throwing knives towards the unit, downing half their men before they could move.

With only three men left, Jo simply stood there as they charged at him, yelling curses that would otherwise be unprintable. He dodged the first one, then buried his right hand with hidden blade deep in his back. He blocked the strike of the second with his left gauntlet, then drew his katana with his right hand and cut the guard clean in two. The third guard hesitated, and then was pierced from behind when Joyce skewered him onto her foil. "Bit better than practice with dummies, this," she said, pulling the now bloodied sword out of her victim and sheathing it. At this time, the siblings looked back at the group, with puzzled expressions due to the fact that no comment was heard.

The rest of the group was in bad shape. Camille was standing, frozen in shock that her friend would do something so barbaric. Max was just plain terrified, while Melissa was the only one to keep her head, and was with Bree to check if she was alright. A clamor erupted behind Jo and he looked around, an inquisitive look on his face. The rest of the guards finally snapped out of their stupor, rushing towards their group. Jo looked closer.

There were only about 18 guards left, plus the lieutenant and the captain. 18 professionally trained guards armed to the teeth with weapons and armor? That's just too much…for my sister, that is, he thought, grin tightening as he tossed the sword towards Melissa. "Mel! Catch! Use it if you have to!" He yelled, and then charged towards the guards. The first nine arrived and surrounded him. Another six split off of the main group and went after Joyce and the students. Jo's eyes darted around, searching for a weakness in the soldiers. I can't do anything, but they've never seen what I do before, he thought.

The captain strode towards him, accompanied by his lieutenant and the remaining three guards. "Give up, and we won't kill you," he said, unsheathing his sword. Yeah, right, thought Jo.

"Alright," he said, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. The guards breathed a sigh of relief, a sigh too soon, as Jo extended his hidden blades and decapitated two of his captors at once, spraying blood all over the immediate vicinity except for Jo himself. High above the battle, Altair's eyes widened once again. "This child is…" Altair went speechless again as Jo did a combo attack using the hidden blades and throwing knives, taking down 5 guards in as many seconds.

Blood stained the golden sand dull brown as the clamor died down. There were only 7 out of the original 18 left, and three were at the students, who were holding their own quite well. Joyce furiously dueled with one, swords clashing, while Melissa took one down on her own, burying her hidden blade up to the wrist in his brains. She turned, only to find that Joyce had peppered her assailant with painful stab wounds and cuts before finishing him off. Meanwhile, Bree and Max confronted the guard. Max simply tackled the guard to the ground and Bree stabbed him through the throat with her blade.

"Jo! Here's your sword back!" she yelled towards the boy, who caught the katana without turning. He alone advanced towards the captain and his last vestiges of order, inexorably and with the ice cold glare. He continued, until Altair dropped from a nearby building and put an arm in front of him. He stopped, knowing full well that it was best for the assassin to do what was right.

"Here," Jo said, flipping his sword and offering the hilt to Altair, "You might just like it!" he said with a grin. Altair, curiosity piqued once again, took the blade and tried swinging with it. It was perfectly balanced, razor sharp and deadly in any circumstance. Altair walked towards the guards, closely followed by Jo. The rest of the group gathered the horses and slowly brought up the rear. Jo cut down two of the guards with his last remaining throwing knives, while stabbing the last remaining guard with his hidden blade.

Altair, meanwhile, cut down the lieutenant with one strike, splitting the man clean in two. The Assassin and Jo now stepped to the captain, at which point Jo promptly turned tail and headed back to the group. He checked each member for their health.

"Although we're in a game, since we're now in it, you can get hurt and you can die." They were alright, apart from the fact that they were all a bit shaken. Bree, especially, was trembling and staring straight at the guard she snuffed out.

"I…killed someone…" she mumbled. Jo put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's a virtual AI program, and don't you ever forget it. You don't ever seem to mind when you do it as Ezio, so why are you nervous now?" Jo said.

"Because…I'm not Ezio..I'm not an assassin…I shouldn't kill…" Bree replied. Jo rolled his eyes and sighed with a grin on his face. He pulled Bree into a hug, instantly bringing her out of her trance. She wriggled out of his grasp, then attempted to thump his head. Jo actually laughed. "There's our timorous beastie right there!" Bree and Melissa got the joke and laughed as well. At this point, Altair rejoined the group and got onto his horse.

"What's so funny?" he asked, a small smirk on his face. The trio laughed harder at his jibe and when they'd finally started on their way to Masyaf again. Everyone was in a good mood.

Mafid struggled against his bonds until he realized exactly where he was. Dangling 50 feet above the ground tied to the lookout that Altair used earlier, he wisely decided not to move and instead await rescue. Unfortunately, Altair had also thought to slit his wrists, leaving the man slowly bleeding to death. I hope they get here soon, he thought.


End file.
